Unit: Geology / Environmental Resources
Teacher Lesson Plan
Lesson: Understanding the Size and Scope of Marcellus Gas Drilling in Pennsylvania
Learning objectives:
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Identify the general area where Marcellus shale is found in
Pennsylvania
Explain the basic fracking process
Calculate the volume of water and land required for gas
drilling.
Compare the size and scope of Marcellus gas drilling in
Pennsylvania to real-world bodies of water and land.
PA State Standards:
4.1.10.A. Describe changes that occur from a stream’s origin to its final outflow.
4.1.10.E. Identify and describe natural and human events on watersheds and wetlands.
 Identify the effects of humans and human events on watersheds.
4.2.10.C. Analyze how man-made systems have impacted the management and
distribution of natural resources.
 Explain the complete cycle of a natural resource, from extraction to disposal,
detailing its uses and effects on the environment.
 Analyze energy uses and energy conservation in different regions.
 Examine conservation practices in different countries.
 Analyze the costs and benefits of different man-made systems and how they use
renewable and nonrenewable natural resources.
 Analyze the impact of information systems on management and distribution of
natural resources.
4.3.10.A. Describe environmental health issues.
 Identify the effects on human health of air, water and soil pollution and the
possible economic costs to society.
Bell Ringer: What is Natural Gas and what do we use it for?
Answer: flammable gas, consisting largely of methane and other hydrocarbons, occurring
naturally underground and used as fuel.
Uses:
Figure 1
Natural Gas Use By Sector
Source: EIA - Annual Energy Outlook 2002
Marcellus Shale.
What is Marcellus Shale and why the sudden interest in it?
The Marcellus Shale is a rock formation that underlies much of Pennsylvania and portions
of New York and West Virginia at a depth of 5,000 to 8,000 feet and is believed to hold
trillions of cubic feet of natural gas. This formation has long been considered prohibitively
expensive to access but recent advances in drilling technology and rising natural gas prices
have attracted new interest in this previously untapped formation. The geology of the
Marcellus formation suggests that areas in the northcentral and northeastern regions of
Pennsylvania that have not traditionally seen much gas well drilling might be especially
productive. (source DEP FAQ’s)
Figure 2
This map shows the approximate depth to the base of the Marcellus Shale. It was
prepared using the map by Robert Milici and Christopher Swezey above and adding
depth-to-Marcellus contours published by Wallace de Witt and others, 1993, United
States Department of Energy Report: The Atlas of Major Appalachian Gas Plays. [4]
Figure 3
A map of Pennsylvania showing the net feet of organic-rich shale in the Marcellus Formation. John
Harper of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey believes that the thickness of organic-rich shale may
be more important than the total Marcellus thickness in assessing the production potential of a
well site. [2] Map after Piotrowski, R.G. and Harper, J.A., 1979. [ 6]
The most promising wells drilled into the Marcellus employ two technologies that are relatively
new to Appalachian Basin gas shale production. One is horizontal drilling, in which a vertical well
is deviated to horizontal so that it will penetrate a maximum number of vertical rock fractures and
penetrate a maximum distance of gas-bearing rock. The second is "hydrofracing" (or hydraulic
fracturing). With this technique, a portion of the well is sealed off and water is pumped in to
produce a pressure that is high enough to fracture the surrounding rock. The result is a
highly fractured reservoir penetrated by a long length of well bore.
Aerial photo of a gas well site. © iStockphoto / Edward Todd.
So how big could this become in Pennsylvania?
Students work in small groups to complete “How Big Is Big” worksheet.
Show hydrograph of how much water if in the river today for worksheet :
http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=ctp&gage=lwbp1&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0
Wrap-up / Closure
Walk through the worksheet and randomly have students share answers. Discuss each question and
answer depending on student interest in each.
In this lab investigation you looked into the potential gas development for just PA state Forests. The
green areas on the map below show the PA state forests:
What about all the other land?
How many wells could be drilled on the entire state?
The answer various depending who you ask.
In today’s lesson we did not explore the possible pro’s and con’s of this industry but rather we focused
on the potential size.
Exit Bell Ringer: According to today’s worksheet, how many gallons of water are needed to drill and
fracture a Marcellus deep shale gas well?
Answer:
5.6 million gallons of water